FusionFall – 5 Out Of 5, and A Raving Review Too

By Jeffery Hargrove | January 14, 2009 | | Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Cartoon Network, children, Fusion Fall, kids, webbased

Jefferey Hargrove, the newest member of The MMO Gamer’s writing team has reviewed FusionFall, Cartoon Network’s MMOG which just launched! With the help of his nephew, Jefferey takes a look this webbased MMOG.

This week I had a glimpse of the future, it was covered in green slime and filled with bad guys! Dexter was there, Ben 10, and The Kids Next Door. As a matter of fact it was filled with Cartoon Network characters. No this is not some sugar induced dream coma, after watching to many cartoons and downing what was left of my holiday candy. That had nothing to do with it, I swear! This was Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall , a new MMO for kids and tweens.

Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall, was a blast to play, for me and my nephew who seems to think my computer is his new toy. It has a engaging storyline, easy to follow for young players, but still creative enough to hold my interest. The in-depth tutorial covers all the basics of movement, combat, and the user interface, while introducing the player to the situation. Fuse, a bad guy who uses fusion matter (green slime) to take over worlds, has come after earth and you must help stop him.

As a avid gamer I had some preconceived notions of what children’s MMO games where like, none of them very positive. But after playing this game to review it, I must admit this game far exceeded my expectations on many levels.

“It looks a lot like the cartoons”

To assist me with this review I drafted my young nephew who had some simple words of his own to say about the game. That was what he had to say when I asked him how it looked, short and sweet answer. There is more to it than that, though. One of the preconceived notions I had about the game was that a browser-based MMO couldn’t possibly have good graphics. That was quickly put to rest when I first saw the game world. Colors are bold, bright, and engaging. Graphically to put it into perspective I felt like I was playing an Xbox 360, or PS3 game with my HDTV. It just doesn’t have the dynamic fog effects, or the super ground textures of some more recent games, and the sky is static on the parts of the world I viewed.

Avatars, and creatures in the game are drawn comic book style, black outlines silhouette the characters. This was a good artistic choice, it meshes well with the animation style of cartoon network characters, and lends a comic book hero feel to the game. The actual game world looks more real than the cartoons themselves, not hard to do when you’re dealing with animation, but worth pointing out. View distance is amazing, weapon and ability effects are superb. Bottom line, if you like the visuals of Cartoon Network, you will be very happy with Fusion Fall’s graphics.

“I don’t need your help!”

Don’t expect to be asked a thousand questions, or begged for help with FusionFall. I found that out pretty quickly. After the initial thirty minutes my nephew spent creating his character I left him alone to play. Coming back, after many minutes I started asking him about the game, or rather telling him what he should do and how to do it. I was quickly put in my place. He had a good grasp of the game already, and even started explaining to me things I missed.

One of the first gameplay elements you will encounter in FusionFall is the immense character creation system. It has one of the most engaging and customizable avatar creations of any MMO to date. Moving from there you enter the game world. A short tutorial quickly gets players engaged, while teaching them all the basics of movement and combat. The UI is easily read with very little clutter. If you need help with something the game guide is a wealth of information including screen shots, walkthroughs, and explanations of many of the key features. It was the easiest to use and understand guide I have seen in an MMO to date.

After you learn the basics, you start into the action. The game features a wide variety of engaging quests. The combat is easy at first point and shoot, however later it becomes necessary to use your “nanos” (micro versions of cartoon network characters you collect) to beat harder monsters. The nano system is a very creative way of introducing more abilities as you advance. My nephew kept referring to them as Pokemon, I think that is a good way to describe them. Jumping is a major game element in Fusion Fall, many quests and mini games are based on jumping through puzzle type environments. Jumping is one of the main things players do in MMO games, at least here it serves a purpose.

There are several forms of travel in fusion fall, walking, jump pads, zip lines, teleports, flying monkeys, and shuttles. Fall damage does not exist, but the ground in many places is covered in deadly green snot, so some caution is advised when your jumping or running around. I think that the many travel options, make the game much more engaging.

Eventually though you will die. When you die you go back to a rez station in the zone you died in. There did not appear to be any significant penalty for dying, other than having to run back if you were doing a quest. I think this is important in a children’s game, as a death penalty could take away from the fun.

“Nooooooo Waagh waagh!”

I believe Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall, overall is a great game. Very appealing visually, though a little extra attention to ground, and sky would have gone a long way. The game is a not very complex, but it was able to keep me entertained for several short monster bashing sessions. My nephew however couldn’t get enough, tantrum ensued when I made him get off my laptop. My nephew gives it a raving review if I ever saw one.

I give FusionFall 5 of 5 because of the engaging game play, great use artistic design in character models, and amazing story line. The game releases today Jan 14th, there is a monthly fee to play of $5.95 a month. The game also sports a free play area called the Future Zone. For more information or to get into the game head on over to Cartoon Network’s official site, or check out FusionFall now.

Review Score: 5 / 5.